“Don't say it was delightful; make us say delightful when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers Please will you do the job for me.”

I deeply enjoyed The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, a series of letters from a senior Demon (Screwtape) to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter.

2014-07-28

"I love that woman." says Francis "Frank" Underwood, talking about his wife and partner in crime, but then he adds, "I love her more than sharks love blood."

Claire and Frank

If you're a fan of House of Cards, you know a lot about Francis, especially because he often breaks the fourth wall. But according to Judy Berman, "It's Claire Underwood who propels the show through its second season — perhaps partially because [...] Wright has so gracefully molded an inconsistently written role into a complex, conflicted character."

According to Shaili Jain, "Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (or sociopaths) are difficult and dangerous; they deny, lie, and contribute to all manner of mayhem in our communities and societies. They know full well what is going on around them and know the difference between right and wrong (and hence are fully responsible for their own behaviors) yet are simply unconcerned about such moral dilemmas." It fits the profile, right?

“An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” King’s discussion of opening lines is compelling because of his dual focus as an avid reader and a prodigious writer of fiction—he doesn’t lose sight of either perspective:

We’ve talked so much about the reader, but you can’t forget that the opening line is important to the writer, too. To the person who’s actually boots-on-the-ground. Because it’s not just the reader’s way in, it’s the writer’s way in also, and you’ve got to find a doorway that fits us both.

This is excellent advice. As you orient your reader, so you orient yourself, pointing your work in the direction it needs to go.

The second one comes from James Patterson:

I don't want them to get up until it's finished

Who are the writers who actually didn't make you get up until their story was finished?

2014-07-21

Fix You by Beck Anderson will be on sale July 22-27. Don't miss this opportunity to read a 2014 RITA® Finalist for BEST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE and BEST FIRST BOOK.

Summary

When Kelly Reynolds’ husband died, he left her—the awkward, cautious one—to raise their two young boys. She’s pieced herself back together, barely. Now she takes refuge in her routine: running her kids around and running the trails near her Idaho home.

Two years after her husband’s death, a chance encounter on a run brings Andrew into her life. But Andrew is Andy Pettigrew, the Andy Pettigrew, famous actor. Kelly hates risk, and a love affair with Andrew is certainly tempting fate. She doesn’t fit into his Hollywood world. She doesn’t own a pair of Louboutins, and she couldn’t walk five paces in them if she did. Andrew oozes cool. She reeks of dork.

But despite this, they click. It may be inexplicable, but it works. However, it’s also becoming clear that Andrew struggles with the pressures of his fame. Kelly’s hold on a so-called normal life is already tenuous, and as much as she might want to indulge the fantasy, she doesn’t know how either of them is supposed to cope with stalkerazzi and tweet-happy fans with camera phones. She and Andrew both have secrets that seem impossible to keep.

Beck Anderson’s witty, engaging writing yields an emotional tale of love, loss, and all the little things that make up a life. In the end, what is it that really holds us together? Kelly must decide if love can fix two people who might be broken beyond repair.

2014-07-11

Have you watched House of Cards? I devoured the first two seasons, and I'm waiting for the 3rd.

On February 4, 2014, Netflix renewed House of Cards for a third season. [...] The first public casting call announcement for season 3 roles was made on May 19 for scenes that would begin shooting on June 12. Extra casting calls were announced on June 3. (Wikipedia)

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night she toils away the hours bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. She has a long standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

Emma is an avid reader. Before her children were born she was known to consume whole books in a single day. Writing has also always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true.

2014-07-02

Next Chapter Publishing presents the cover reveal for Crosswinds by N.R. White:

Summary: Stranded in an airport during a storm, a random act of kindness and an
unexpected encounter leads to a life-changing experience for a young
sailor on his way to his first duty station overseas. When Bobby walked
into the airports only smoking lounge and asked to bum a smoke, Jack
knew there was a reason a crosswind had unexpectedly blown the sailor
into his path. It wasn't until several hours later that Jack realized
the exact purpose of their chance encounter.

And NOW... Your first look at

Release Date - August 28, 2014

Join the Giveaway for your chance to win a $10.00 Amazon card and a digital ARC of Crosswinds.

Crosswinds author N.R. White is a U.S. Navy veteran and an award-winning newspaper journalists. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, he and his family moved to Columbia, S.C. at the age of 10 when his father returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam — at the same time South Carolina was in the process of integrating its public school system. The son of a career soldier, he graduated high school in West Germany before attending the University of South Carolina where he majored in journalism.
Having covered assignments around the world, those experiences are captured in the characters and settings of his manuscripts.Crosswinds is the first of a three-book series. He is currently working on the second novel in the series entitled Wind Speaker, which he anticipates being released in 2015. The inspiration for the series originated during the two years he covered the birth of the white buffalo in Janesville, Wisconsin in the mid-1990s, and the Native American prophecy that foretold not only the calf’s birth, but its significance to people of all races across the world.